To Springvale for Christmas by Maud Van Buren

Name: To Springvale for Christmas
Author: Maud Van Buren

In “To Springvale for Christmas,” President Arthur Tilton and his siblings—Edward, Grace, and Ricky—travel to their mother’s home in Springvale for Christmas, the first time in eleven years that all of them will be there together. Each brings what seems an especially suitable present: Arthur buys silk for a dress, Edward a wrist-watch, Grace a new parlor rug, and Ricky a large collection of books. Their mother welcomes them warmly but retains complete command of the household. Because the minister and his wife are due to board with her for a week beginning Christmas Day, she insists on serving Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve and postponing presents until Christmas morning, after breakfast dishes are washed. Her grown children, who have unconsciously thought of her as pathetic, begin to recognize her poise, strength, and authority. On Christmas morning, she receives their costly gifts with affectionate alarm at their extravagance, while they receive the knitted presents she has made for them. The minister and his wife arrive late, then unexpectedly announce that they must go into the country and will return after dark. The family enjoys an uninterrupted Christmas dinner and afternoon together. Later, they learn that the minister and his wife have been eating lunch in a cutter outside town, and realize that the couple deliberately left them alone for the day. Before the children depart, their mother gives each an envelope containing a share of what she had intended to leave them in her will. She will retain one house and live on rent from the other, giving them the remainder now. She has also quietly arranged to give away the presents they brought her: Edward’s watch will go to Ricky’s intended wife, Ricky’s books to the new public library, Grace’s rug to the new church, and Arthur’s silk dress to the minister’s wife. If Ricky’s flowers arrive, she will take them to the cemetery for their father. As the train pulls away, the siblings understand that their mother, though left without the visible tokens of their visit, is not pathetic but supremely triumphant.

By Maud Van Buren · First published 1927 · Genre: Family Drama, Christmas Fiction, Domestic Fiction · 4,021 words

First lines

Her children arise up and call her blessed. / _Zona Gale_

When President Arthur Tilton of Briarcliff College, who usually used / a two-cent stamp, said "Get me Chicago, please," his secretary was / impressed, looked for vast educational problems to be in the making, / and heard instead:

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To Springvale for Christmas is listed on Textopian as a short story by Maud Van Buren, dated 1927 CE.

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Work type: Short story
Author: Maud Van Buren
Date: 1927 CE
Language: English
Genres: Family Drama, Christmas Fiction, Domestic Fiction, Sentimental Fiction, Literary Fiction
Length: 4,021 words
Structure: 1 section, 84 paragraphs
Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)

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Genres

Family Drama — The narrative centers entirely on familial relationships and dynamics between adult siblings and their mother, with conflict and resolution rooted in family obligations and bonds.
Christmas Fiction — Christmas serves as both the structural framework and thematic core, with the story exploring how the holiday reveals deeper truths about family love and sacrifice.
Domestic Fiction — The work is fundamentally concerned with domestic life, household routines, and the intimate spaces of family living, emphasizing hearth and home as central values.
Sentimental Fiction — The narrative employs emotional, tender treatment of family relationships with an emphasis on touching moments and heartfelt expressions of love and gratitude.